Red Sails 1928

Arman Manookian made this painting, Red Sails, using flat planes of vibrant colour. He created this dreamscape using vivid reds and oranges, electric blues and greens, and dark purples and browns. Looking at this painting, I imagine the artist deeply immersed in the act of creation, building up the image through layers of color and form. Perhaps he started with loose sketches, gradually refining the composition and adding details as the painting progressed. I imagine him considering the relationship between colour and shape. The thick outlines give everything a cartoonish, naive quality. I wonder if he had seen Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti, or read Melville's Typee? Perhaps he dreamed of islands in the South Pacific, of red sails on the horizon. But whatever inspired him, it's clear that he approached this painting with a sense of wonder and joy, inviting us to share in his vision of paradise. In so doing, he joins the larger conversation amongst artists, each one dreaming of the same thing—to create art.